Friendly streets: West Island letters

As part of our Friendly Streets series, here is a selection of letters from Dollard des Ormeaux, Dorval, Pointe Claire, Kirkland and Beaconsfield.

Bellfeuille St. (and des Arbres St.), Dollard des Ormeaux

Although very small, with only 12 homes, Bellfeuille (and des Arbres adjoining street), in DDO, are hidden gems and a unique example of a friendly street. How do you define a friendly street? We are English, French, Italian, Jewish, Indian, Greek, Korean, Chinese, Arabic – a real hodgepodge of backgrounds and professions, and we all get along.

And this goes well beyond borrowing a cup of sugar, so where do we begin...

Today, my two kids spent all day at our neighbours’ pool together with four other kids from the street with some tasty dogs and hamburgers at a BBQ (last week they were at our place celebrating a birthday, 22 people in our pool!). It was pizza and Chinese food last week. We get together for breaking of the bread with our Jewish neighbors on Fridays (Shabbats) and celebrate Hindu naming ceremonies and Italian baptisms!

The night before, I called another neighbour heading to Costco, to get us some detergent. It was delivered to our door this a.m.

Tonight, we called a neighbour across the street, our "street doctor," and she will be over later to check on my 8- month-old's cold. Everyone has her pager number. She even gets up during the night for emergencies.

When we are away in the winter, someone will clean our stairs (pick up the mail and check with the alarm company). We will do the same for them. Our kids play on the street every day, and everyone knows each other and watches out for one another.

In February, when DDO was hit by a number of burglaries, our two streets organized a comprehensive neighbourhood watch program with a website (www.ddowatch.com). Within days we had hundreds of email addresses that were collected in a door-to-door campaign with numerous volunteers. We had neighbourhood patrols (two neighbours at a time), patrolling between 5 and 10 p.m., for a month. We are sure that these efforts, together with the increased policy and community awareness, assisted in the capture of the three suspects.

Most nights, our streets are walked safely, with a number of walking groups.

Needless to say, on these streets, everyone knows your name, and everyone talks to each other.

In early September, we close off our two streets for a day for a community BBQ with several neighbours. There are souvlakis and inflatable toys. At Halloween, the streets are packed with hundreds if not thousand of kids coming from this and other neighbourhoods, devouring the candy and enjoying the great scary decorations.

This is just a sample of our daily life, and every week is similar.

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Circle Rd., Pointe Claire

We have lived on Circle Rd. for 10 years this past July. I definitely think we live on a friendly street. What makes it so friendly? Well, the neighbours, of course! But it's more than that.

We've got the Circle Road Community Association, which is entirely volunteer-run (I was a board member several years ago), and the mission is to help create a neighbourhood that is friendly and welcoming to all.

Each year we've had a community garage sale followed by a hot-dog roast in the park. We have a corn roast around Labour Day, and we've also had a fantastic day of skating and tobogganing and pizza in the park. Great way to meet the other parents/children in the neighbourhood!

At the association's annual meeting, they invite VIPs like the police chief and local politicians to discuss issues of concern to us. This is how the Maurice Cullen Park renovation project was initiated – and look what a fantastic park is it today!! (BTW, the last reno was an initiative of the Circle Road Community Association in the ’80s!)

When the school committee at Iona asked us to help the children spruce up their playground by giving them cuttings from our perennial gardens, neighbours pitched in.

We've got Martin the dog walker. who knows everyone in the 'hood. He knows that my son is into baseball. and asks about how his hockey team is doing.

My babysitters have all been kids from up and down the streets here. (How lucky is that!!)

One winter, I had my gardener clear a spot for a neighbour who normally parks on the street because no contractor would agree to clear her driveway because it's too steep.

In turn, she's always been generous when I'm short a cup of rice. She even invited my kids to dinner once so my husband and I could head out somewhere.

Down the street is the neighbour who rings the doorbell on the way to the park with his kids – do mine want to come along? My chatty neighbour next door has planted cuttings from her garden into mine!!

When my kids canvas selling chocolates as a school fundraiser, nearly everyone is more than happy to say yes! My new friend Monica lends me books, and is my best source for cooking tips, and will watch my kids in a pinch if I've got no one to welcome them home from car pool... I have even had the most friendly postmen!

I could go on but I won't. I'll close with this: My family is very happy to be living here. And I think that most people we know feel the same! It's a great place to live.

Susan Abramowitz

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Ashington Rd., Pointe Claire

Hi! A standard greeting, perhaps, but here on Ashington, it frequently results in an informal get-together, depending on the season, of a shared coffee or beer. Where two congregate, more are drawn and a party-of-sorts is on!

Should you venture onto this quiet L-shaped street in Pointe Claire, you would probably need to slow down and patiently wait for the road to clear. Be it street hockey, soccer, skateboarding or rollerblading, the children play, as they have for generations; as mine did in the ’90s and as did Jack and Bev's children during the ’60s and ’70s. No need to worry if you don't have the required equipment; someone will have a spare ball or a lefty hockey stick.

Not all of the houses have fences. Our backyard skating rink included ice paths to other homes, and the mini lights transformed it into a Nutcracker fairyland. In the summer, it was impromptu dance performances – Hey, Mom, Dad, come over to Nancy's later, and we'll show you our new dance. Street garage sales are always fun, rain or shine. There is an unwritten rule that neighbours get things for dirt-cheap or, better yet, free.

We moved here in1983, and some of our neighbors are the original homeowners.

Presently, it is a pleasant mix of young families, those with teenagers and young adults, as well as elderly couples who are now grandparents or great-grandparents. This heterogeneity makes for a congenial give and take; everyone watches out for the youngsters as well as for those who, pre- or post-surgery, need assistance with errands, or whose memory is no longer what it was and may wander lost, looking for their homes.

Pets need never worry about going hungry here. Bowls of food and water and a warm welcome in sub-zero weather greeted Jasmine in all the households that adopted her.

When Ashley and I purchased our house, the real estate agent told us this McGill Split was a perfect “starter” home. When Chris and Tess were born, minor renovations were made to accommodate our growing needs. Now, 26 years later, we realize that it was not only our starter, but will also be our 'ender' home. And we are very happy about that – we know we live on a very special street with extraordinary neighbours and friends.

Linda Marics

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Hampton Gardens, Pointe Claire

We have the best street on the West Island or possibly Montreal !!!!!!!

Anyone on the street will agree. Because it is a crescent, it is very conducive to being "street-friendly"!

We have a backyard community garden, a neighbour known as the "best cookie baker,” Christmas street decorating contest and after party, babysitters galore (as well as pet sitters and house sitters), gates through backyards and, my personal favourite, our street gourmet dinner club!!

And how could I forget our two street handymen, always ready to help (or have a beer), not sure which is first! We swim in each other’s pools, make our elderly residents’ meals or take them shopping.

THE LIST IS TOO LONG TO GO ON... THIS IS TRULY A STREET WHERE PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.

Ken and Jan McCarthy

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Windward Cres., Pointe-Claire

I live in Pointe Claire and have for six years now. My neighbours are just wonderfully nice, helpful, friendly and ultimately just really good neighbours to have.

We live on a quiet crescent.

My neighbour Rufus helps take care of our house while we are away. Watering our plants, feeding our cats, mowing our lawn; he even vacuumed up the cat hair for me so that we could come home to a clean house!

Last year, he helped weed some of our gardens and steam-cleaned our basement carpet as a wedding gift. He takes my garbage and recycling out when he knows my husband is away for business. Last week, he brought over some bread from his son's bakery, and this morning his wife, Norma, brought over some more goodies...

He has fixed our sink and many other things so we wouldn't have to pay for a plumber etc.. We are not the only neighbours he helps either. He helps many, many people in our neighbourhood. He really deserves some recognition.

Our next-door neighbours Brenda and Hans have also taken care of our cats and home. While we are away, Brenda has mown our lawn, weeded our gardens and even whipper snipped!

I have borrowed eggs, ladders, pressure hoses from them. We are invited next door for bbqs and drinks, and they have been invited back and also came to our wedding.

My neighbour across the street (Liz) has also offered to take care of our animals while we are away, as I have just recently for her. She helped me look for my runaway cat last year in the dark in her pj's :) along with another neighbour named Steve, who lives two houses down.

I was so thankful for the genuine helpfulness from two neighbours I didn't know very well. She has also lent me a bike pump and travel information...

Another neighbour, Barbara, helps Rufus when he is away, and vice-versa. She used to also look after an elderly lady who lived next door who passed away a couple of years ago. She always took her garbage and recycling out for her.

There is another neighbour who is a single mom that Rufus helps out (Diane), and she helps him out in return.

As you can see I live on a really great street with the best neighbours, and I would hate to ever move.

Allyson

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Gables Court, Beaconsfield

Greetings: I live in a very unusual neighbourhood; perhaps you already know of it.

Friendly is only one of the many attributes that apply to our area. You could list all the favourable attractions that one would desire in a neighbourhood when looking for an area to locate when moving, and this place will satisfy every one.

It is very much like a small village, in that it has only 56 homes in an area of about 10 acres. With a single entrance/exit from Beaconsfield Blvd., each house is on an average of about 10,000 square feet of property, and sharing a communal park fronting on Lake St. Louis. In this park, there is a tennis court, a swimming pool, a beach and a dock.

The administration of the park activities and maintenance, plus lifeguards and swimming lessons for the children and the many social activities, are entrusted to a board of directors elected from by residents. It is this part of our experience that has such a bearing on the feeling of friendliness we share. We get to know each other at these affairs; new people are welcomed and made to feel at home in short order.

As an example of the togetherness, I have the personal experience of having my 91st birthday recognized by a supper party in the park, organized by the club!

I could go on...and on.

C. Leslie (Les) Curry

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St. Louis Ave., just south of Beaconsfield Blvd., Beaconsfield

In trying to understand what makes a street friendly, one needs to consider many perspectives. After all, "friendly" means different things to different people. Our street is friendly because of its people; they are the spirit of our street.

Our neighbours are as varied as the styles of home on St. Louis.

They are all of ages, of diverse backgrounds and with differing interests, yet, like the architecture and trees, blend in so superbly that one would almost think these families were hand-picked and assembled like one would assort a bouquet of flowers. There are neighbours truly of all ages, diverse backgrounds and at different stages in their lives, respecting and befriending each other in a way I have not seen anywhere else.

If you drive by our street, you will usually notice lots of children playing. Here you will see 14- and 16-year-olds playing with 7-, 8-, 9-year-olds.

In the summer, they are playing basketball or maybe soccer at Christmas park behind the street.

In the winter, you will see them gather on the hockey rink or play street hockey.

Parents look out for each other and help out where they can.

We have an annual street party that starts mid-afternoon and usually lasts past 11 p.m. A piñatas for the children, a fire truck comes by to visit, and even a few neighbours pull out their guitars, harmonicas and accordion to jam it up and get us all singing.

One neighbour holds an annual mechoui in his backyard, and invites the whole street. He provides all the meats and drinks, and the neighbours bring a side dish and dessert to share. What started as a mechoui has evolved into a mechoui with a band playing on the next door's neighbour patio for entertainment (the band leader lives on the street) and another neighbour pitching in with fireworks at the end of the night.

Here, again, you see parents interacting, children playing games, and the whole street living as a community centered on respect and always ready to extend a helping hand.

The best testament to this street that I can make is that my wife and I wanted to make some major renovations and realized how much work and money these renovations would take so we decided to look around for a new home.

We spent months looking around, going to open houses on Sundays, but while we saw some interesting homes, we never found the energy and feeling that we have on St. Louis. So we decided that the street was more important than anything else, so we jumped into the renovations ... Best decision we ever made.

I am writing this on behalf of my wife, Carol-Lynn, and myself.

Guillaume Herve

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St. Louis Ave. below Beaconsfield Blvd., Beaconsfield

We moved onto the street in 2003. On our moving day, our neighbours greeted us one by one and brought us much- needed phone numbers of both the neighbours and local businesses that might be of use to new residents.

This was just a small thing, but what a nice way to be welcomed. When I speak of St. Louis Ave., I am speaking of the portion of the street from Lakeshore to Beaconsfield Blvd.

About 18 houses dot the street, one of the oldest streets in Beaconsfield. There are 23 children living on the street, whose average age is about 10 years old. Families wave to each other on their way to and from work, look after each others' homes when it’s vacation time, and genuinely enjoy living in a close- knit environment.

Neighbours are always lending each other a hand with everything from shovelling snow, to home renos to watching out for each other's kids. It is not unheard of to bring each other's garbage and recycling bins back up to their houses – just because.

Every year, for the last 15 years or so, a street party is held toward the end of the summer, where we get a permit to close the street for a bunch of hours so that we can hold a "family BBQ and corn roast."

Residents hang patio lanterns across the street, wheel their BBQ to the front of their homes, bring out their patio furniture and enjoy each other. The kids ride their bikes freely, without the fear of traffic, they shuck the corn, looking for the marked corn so that they may be crowned as "king and queen of the corn," they smash a pinata and enjoy the candies inside.

Everyone contributes a dessert that is enjoyed while the music of one of the residents’ band plays into the evening and beyond.

Since the city re-did the field behind the eastern homes on the street this spring, it is even better, as the kids play there non-stop after school and on weekends.

When I tell people that I live on St. Louis Ave. below the Blvd., I am most often met with comments about what a great street it is and what a great location we have. What they don't get to see is what truly makes it great – the people who choose to make it their home.

Tatiana Deveau

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Bisley St., Beacon Hill, Beaconsfield

I have lived here now for 10 years. I moved into a mature neighbourhood, where there were some kids, but mostly empty nesters. At first, I thought it was odd that the older people would stop to say hello or admire my garden. However, in the last six years, our community has exploded with children and new families.

I have friends who visit from elsewhere who describe it as Sesame Street, where everyone knows your name, where everyone says good morning to their neighbours... or your kids, or your pets!

Neighbours will stop to admire your garden, ask you what renovations you are working on, how your dog is, and drop in for impromptu potlucks.

We have welcome parties for new neighbours, baby showers, a community association, a community pool, networking groups, scrapbooking, and neighbours who will happily help rebuild your broken fence. We'll pick up each other's mail, look out for each other's houses, leave spare keys at the neighbours’ house, and practice piano on the neighbours’ baby grand. We can call a neighbour over to stay here while we go to the store. We support each other when there is sickness or stress, bringing food to comfort or help to get you through. We have special- needs children who blend seemlessly into the children's play.

It is a bit crazy some days, as my kids will stand at the end of our driveway like flycatchers to see who is outside and who is driving by. They will drag cool toys out so that their friends will come running over to play. Within a 10- house radius, there are more than 40 kids between 1 and 17. That's just within that radius! Some days, a big pack of kids will stream through my backyard play for a bit, cut through to the other street and flow over to someone else's house.

It is madness trying to take a walk or bike ride in the evening, as the pack of kids and parents expands at every block. We have soccer or hockey games in the street with dozens of children, and a street party where we close it off to traffic and turn up the music over a potluck dinner. We have our community corn roast coming up on the 12th of September, and it is filled with chili, corn, drinks, horse-drawn carriage rides, bouncy games, an ice cream truck and old-fashioned picnic games for the kids.

Most of the neighbours have moved here from out of town, province or country, but some are from other parts of the city. All have been amazed at how friendly and welcoming the neighbours have been. We have many languages above and beyond just French or English. A melting pot – just the way Montreal should be! There is no where else like it. We are incredibly blessed and we know it.

Alysha Donnan

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Preston Drive, Beaconsfield

Yes, we live on a friendly street where neighbours know and help one another.

I've borrowed eggs, sugar, garden tools, use of a fax machine, even their car on more than one occasion.

We don't all need to have our own extension ladder, power washer, trampoline and pool when we can share.

We currently have a neighbour's Shop-Vac in our shed, another's bottle of varsol in our garage, and our house guest's vehicle is next door, where there's more room in the neighbour's driveway.

We've fed each other's cats, dogs, plants and children (that is, before they could manage a sandwich on their own).

When we first moved to Preston Dr. in Beaconsfield, our first contact was receiving a notice of babysitting availability from a teenaged neighbour.

Shortly after that, we had a street-wide garage sale. That was an informal way of establishing contact and a network beyond the very-next-door neighbours.

We really became close though during the ice storm, as I'm sure other readers will say.

We bunked in with our neighbours next door because their immediate neighbours on the other side had a generator and were able to keep the two houses warm by 'taking turns' with the power source via extension cord.

We had long evenings by the fire, chatting, playing charades and other games. We took frequent walks to survey the continuing ice-storm damage in the neighbourhood and, of course, chatted, swapped and shared resources and tips with the rest of the people who share our postal code. We slept at one address and cooked on the BBQ at another.

When we got our electricity back, it was fun to have our neighbours-to-the-right join us and our neighbours-to-the-left around our dining-room table, with candlelight only, of course, to commemorate what brought us and our combined resources together.

At that dinner, we decided we should not wait for another ice storm to all get together with such fun people, so we planned a street party for that summer, which we kept up for many years after.

Home owners have come and gone, and we have been blessed with an international assortment who joined our street party over the years. Most of them are remembered now with Christmas cards, fond memories and recipes we've exchanged.

Every Christmas we make a cookie recipe from a German woman who was only here for a few days as a stay-in babysitter next door.

We have a chocolate-cake recipe we fondly call 'hockey cake' because, for one thing, we couldn't read or pronounce its real Swedish name and, secondly, because our neighbour used to serve it to her Hab husband as a pre-game snack.

You know you're in a 'neighbourhood' when someone comes through your back door, finds out you're making sandwiches for lunch and joins you. (That was also a Swedish Montreal Canadien wife who showed me how to get to Montreal's Ikea when I was a newcomer. She had no children of her own at that time, and didn't mind when my then-3-year-old would ring her doorbell, then come home later with painted fingernails.)

One day, being returned home by a friend after an outing, I waved goodbye and only then realized I hadn't taken a key with me when I'd run out of a full house earlier that morning. I looked over and saw that my neighbour with a spare key for our house was out. But I gleefully noticed my recently retired neighbour was home, and we hadn't talked for a while. I found her enjoying her still-novel retirement with a book. The result of our impromptu visit is our street's book club.

When a new family moves in, they're often greeted by a plate of homemade cookies. When our most recent newcomers arrived, however, I had one of those add-on friendship batters brewing in my kitchen and I thought I'd "get rid of" some of the excess and bake it. Well, it didn't turn out all that well, but I thought the busy un-packers would enjoy a fresh-from-the-oven, albeit sunk-in-the-middle, sweet loaf, even if the original batter ingredients that had been passed along to me were unknown. I took it and some bright tulips over for their kitchen table.

A couple of days later, my husband told me he'd been speaking with the new neighbours, too, and asked if I knew they'd had their own boulangèrie back in France? Ahh!

Spontaneous parties are always the best. I recall one when my husband and our neighbour were both BBQing on their respective decks at the same time when one inquired: “What are you cooking?”

We ended up eating together: 'turf and feathers', their veggies, our dessert and a pooled-resources salad.

When my parents made a surprise visit on their way through via motorcoach, many neighbours cozied-up inside for some socializing and sustenance.

She brought the older two to the hospital to see their baby sister when she was born. All three threw confetti at her wedding.

One of my favourite neighbourhood memories here is when I learned that a family was moving in from Brazil. I'd recently met someone who'd grown up there and asked her if she would mind writing a 'welcome' note for them in Portuguese.

She was only too happy to oblige. But none of us could have imagined that the writer and recipient would turn out to already have known each other, having lived on the same street in a small town in Brazil.

They recounted the fat bookstore owner who frightened them as schoolgirls as he sat in the doorway of his storefront on their street. But he turned out to be very kind, and allowed my neighbour when she was young and poor and looked longingly and lovingly at his books to take one home to read and take care of and return. This continued for years, and I wonder if that bookstore owner knows that little girl obtained her PhD in civil engineering while she lived in Canada, and her neighbours on Preston gathered with others to help her celebrate.

She and her family have returned to Brazil, and we're all invited to visit their neighbourhood there. That would be a great street party.

Cindy McSkimming

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Concord Dr., Beaconsfield

If you drive through the West Island, in particular the town of Beaconsfield, you may find yourself in a quiet, peaceful street called Concord Dr.

Situated close to Beaurepaire Village it may appear, at first peak, to be typical of its era: solidly built detached homes, spacious enough to house growing families, teenagers on the cusp of college or empty nesters who mow their gardens weekly, passionately, with pride. I have had the fortune to live here for almost eight years now with my husband, Michael, and our two sons, William, 16, and Thomas, 11, and for us it has been one of the best decisions made.

The street is made up of 24 houses. How do I know this? Well, as one of the Concord Chicks (there are several of us: Karin, Karen, Nadine, Tammy and myself), who often organize events such as trips to the movie theatre, garage sales or the annual street party (we will celebrate our third street party later in August), I have written, printed and trodden the length of Concord Dr. numerous times to deliver notices for these events. But I am racing ahead. Let me take you back to the beginning....

When we moved into Concord Dr. on Nov. 1, 2001, we immediately felt at home. The small number of neighbours who were to become our core group of friends were friendly and very welcoming. That first fall, we met Chris, our next-door neighbour at No. 426, originally from the north of England, who offered help in gathering the enormous amount of leaves and pinecones that had fallen in the yard.

He brought with him the largest rake I had ever encountered, and the job was completed in next to no time. He still continues with such kindnesses today.

Across the road at No. 429 live Don and Karin. In past years Karin and I have supported each other in the task of learning French in classes either run by neighbours (for a time we held classes in each other’s homes with a French tutor who would come weekly) or at local educational institutions.

As she works for a local, frozen-food store, needless to say, her door is the one to knock on when parties are arranged!

Recently, her husband, Don, achieved the honour of ranking 10th on a bestseller list for his book Fortune Favors the Bold, about aviation in South Africa.

We even have celebrities! There are others, too, who deserve a mention: Heather makes wonderful cookies, and her pumpkin bread dips are delicious. Her husband, Paul, has been the instigator of progressing parties, where we travel from one house to the other, sampling traditional foods and drink.

The street includes families from all over the world. Michael and I are from Northern Ireland; others are from America, South Africa, Belgium and England, to mention a few.

So you can imagine the fun and diversity of flavours that these parties present. One of the most popular events for the adult members of the street is the Pub and Tub night.

Heather's husband, Paul, jokingly hoisted a pair of his shorts onto a post outside his house as a sign that the weather was good enough to visit the local pub, the Black Lion, to be followed by a soak in his not long installed hot tub. I suggested to my husband, Michael, that he should photograph the said pair of shorts as a reminder of this event, which we then presented as an award to Paul as thanks for his social efforts!

The kids, too, have memories to cherish for the future. They have had fun soaking in the hot tub at Paul's house on a winter evening, only to jump out and make snow angels on the crisp white snow! Also, each year around Christmastime, Paul arranges a fundraising event for the Make a Wish Foundation. He invites neighbours and friends to join him and his family to take the time to think of others.

That brings me to the time when my own mother died a few years ago. As a family, we travelled back to Ireland on this sad occasion to return a week later, as I had a to undergo major surgery. Knowing about our situation, our neighbours offered to prepare food for us, bring our children to and from school each day, and I received either phone calls or visits to make sure I was coping. Thank you, guys!

Throughout the year we enjoy finding ways to spend time together: either with driveway or backyard BBQs.

Being Irish we celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a party, and my husband, Michael, takes great delight in decorating the garage as spookily as possible for the neighbourhood kids at Halloween.

Tammy and Bernard recently hosted an evening to mark Mardi Gras. But the greatest anticipated event has to be the annual street party. Nearly every neighbour takes part either by arranging the permit and barriers needed, supplying barbecues to cook the food, selecting music, making a variety of favourite salads or desserts and setting up games and activities for the children.

Mark and Nadine open their swimming pool for this special day of entertainment, and the older teenagers take turns supervising the younger attendees along with their parents. At this event, Denise, Nadine's mother, is regarded in very high esteem. She is from Belgium, and makes the most wonderful waffles ever! However, so far she hasn't given anyone her recipe! Maybe this year!

But please do not think that we party all the time. When my husband, Michael, was renovating the basement and needed to install the ceiling, his friends Paul, Kevin and Bob arrived at our door to help. At four-feet-nine (someone once told me that this was a depth not a height!!), I am not exactly built for that type of work!

I hope you can glean from this letter that I write with pride and fondness about my friends and neighbours where I live. It truly is an exceptional street!

When I walk our dog Nisky each morning, I am sure to meet someone I know or at least am on nodding acquaintance. It makes me feel that I belong, that this is home from home.

Nuala McGuinness

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Forest Rd., Beaconsfield

Born in Montreal, I relocated to the United States in the late ’80s. More than a decade later, I moved back with my two children and chose a neighbourhood in Beaconsfield to enjoy the suburban life the kids were used to. After a couple of years, it became apparent that while not unfriendly, I found the neighbourhood to be, well…detached. A quick wave while backing the car out of the driveway pretty much summed up the involvement that our next-door neighbours had with one another. I was puzzled, but figured that maybe I was just used to living in the U.S. with all those friendly Americans!

And then our house was robbed, and even though I advised the neighbours promptly so that they could all take extra safety precautions, the way that everyone reacted to this traumatic experience clearly underlined the loneliness of that street.

Then, as luck would have it, a house went up for sale nearby that seemed to be just what we needed: a smaller house on a street with one-car garages, lots of people walking their dogs, a two-minute walk to the bus, and, most incredibly, directly next door to my childhood friend of more than 40 years! So now we live right beside great friends, and amongst people who seem to have more community feeling.

Yes, people are all busy; everyone has full schedules, and, frankly, we rarely get together with people on th

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